A new way to get wireless at UNCG

Have you seen “eduroam” as one of your internet connection options here on campus?

UNCG’s Information Technology Services has begun broadcast of this new supplemental wireless service on campus.

“eduroam” (education roaming) is a secure, worldwide federated roaming wireless access service developed for the research and education community. The eduroam wireless service allows UNCG students and researchers to use the same wireless configuration locally as well as remotely at eduroam member institutions in this country and around the world. Furthermore, visitors traveling to our campus from other participating universities can use their home institution’s login credentials to access secure wireless services at UNCG without the need to apply for a UNCG computing account.

Donna Heath, Associate Vice Chancellor for Systems & Networks, says, “The new eduroam service will provide essential infrastructure for research by seamlessly connecting our faculty and students to critical resources and partners worldwide.”

Benefits of eduroam include getting immediate wireless access when travelling to participating institutions, access through a secure wireless protocol, and increased bandwidth and fewer restrictions than are often afforded to authenticated connections over guest services.

It’s an attractive option because you can use your own UNCG credential to log in and access wireless services at any eduroam member institution, says Amie Mabe (ITS). The difference is that you log in with your full email address (username@uncg.edu) instead of your username.

Rob Gorrell (ITS) adds that the traditional UNCG-Faculty/Staff/Student service and the new eduroam service both deliver the same experience while here on campus. “However, eduroam delivers the same service plus more. So why not have more, right? By choosing to use eduroam, you have automatically set yourself up for instant mobility – opening up the possibilities of free, easy and secure internet access while traveling at remote participating institutions.”

Clemson and The University of Tennessee – Knoxville are two nearby participating universities. Gorrell says Duke and N.C. State are formally doing their own internal testing and may shortly adopt it as well.

UNCG is the first school in the UNC system and in the state to put eduroam into production.

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